Radio tube rejuvenator



March 9, 1937. W BARTLETT ET AL 2,073,190

RADIO TUBE REJUVENATOR Filed April 2a, 1936 s Sheets-Sheet 1 III ' (Uta: MN.

March 9, 1937. w, BARTLETT ET AL I 2,073,190

RADIO TUBE REJUVENATOR Filed April 23, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 w, MWA Q MW March 9, 1937.

w. BARTLETT ET AL RADIO TUBE REJUVENATOR Filed April 23, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 HEAT C TROL RES! 570R A //5v. Ac.

Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca 2,013,190 aamo rune nnmvnna'ron William Bartlett and Ralph Carpenter, Spencer, W. Va., assignors o! one-third to Wm. 8. Ryan,

Spencer, W. Va.

This invention relates to radio tubes or valves, and more particularly to a means for recovering or rejuvenating wornout tubes.

An object of this invention is to provide an 6 exceedingly simple means whereby the thorium which has been driven off of the cathodes during the use or the tubes may be restored to the cathodes without unsealing the tubes.

Another object of this invention is to provide 10 a tube rejuvenating means which may be used 7 with various types of tubes, and by means of which the rejuvenating process is accomplished through the external application of heat.

A further object of this invention is to provide 15 an improved method of rejuvenating tubes whereby the condition of the tubes can be determined during the process of rejuvenation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described here- 20 inaiter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

-In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

5 Figure 1 is a detail front elevation of a tube rejuvenating device constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan of. the device.

Figure 3 is a detail end elevation of the device.

Figure 4 is a detail end elevation, partly broken away andin section of the device.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Figure 6 is a detail side elevation, partlyin sec- 5 tion, of the resistance element used with the filament oi the'heater. j

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring for the heater resistance element.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring 49 for connecting a testing device to the tubes being rejuvenated.

I Referring to the drawings, the numeral I0 designates a chassis of suitable construction which is provided with a flat top wall II. The

. top H- is provided in substantially the center thereof with an elongated longitudinally extend- 7 ing slot or opening iii in which a slide I2 is mounted, the slide 12 having longitudinal flanges II which support the slide i2 on the top H for 50 sliding movement. Opposed guides i5 are disposed on opposite sides of the opening i 3 and are secured to the top Ii by means of screws IE or like fastening elements.

'I'he s ide 12 has a plurality of sockets l1 se- 55 cured thereto, these sockets being adapted to receive the prongs of tubes of various types, and it will be understood that as many sockets I 1 may be provided as may be considered desirable.

A tube heating means, generally designated at i8 is supported in a position overlying the center 5 of the opening l3. The heating means I8 is secured in suspended relation to a supporting means l3 by means of headed pins 20, and this supporting means l9 comprises a pair of elongated bars 2| which are provided with inter- 10 mediate opposed offset portions 22 in which the heating means is loosely disposed, the bars 2! being secured together by means of rivets 23 or like fastening means.

The supporting member I! is held in the desired operative position between a pair ,of vertically disposed standards 24 and 25. The standard 23 comprises a pair of vertically disposed spaced apart bars 26 provided with right angle base portions 21 which are secured by fastening means 28 tothe top H. The bars 26 have aplurality of vertically spaced apart openings 29 through whicha pin 33 is adapted to engage, the pin 30 also extending through an end of the supporting member l9. 5

The standard comprises a pair of vertically disposed spaced apart bars 3| provided with right angle base portions 32 which are secured by fastening means 33 to the top II. The bars 3| are provided with a plurality of vertically spaced apart openings 3! through whicha pin 35 engages, the pin 35 also extending through an opening 35 provided in the supporting member IS.

The heating member l3 comprises inner and outer cylindrical members 31 and 33, respectively, 35 which are open at each end, and a resistance coil 33 is disposed in the space between these members 31 and 38.. An insulating means is interposed between the coil 33 and the periphery of the inner casing member 31, and the space 40 between the coil 33 and the outer casing member 38 is filled with asbestos ll or a like heat resisting means.

The heat generated by the heating member i8 is controlled by means of a controlling member, 5 generally designated as 42. .I'he controlling member 42 comprises a resistance coil 43 which is mounted on a porcelain body Al having a threaded lower end portion 45 which is adapted to be threaded into a socket 45 having contacts 5 41 and 38. The contact 48 has a conductor 49 connected thereto, and this conductor 49 is adapted to be connected to a suitable source of electric current supply of desired capacity. The

contact 41 is connected by means of a conductor 50 to one side of the heater element l8, and the other side of the heater element I8 is connected by means of a conductor 5| to the other side of the source of current supply.

A switch 52 is interposed in the conductor 89, and a second switch 53 is interposed in a conductor 54 which is tapped into substantially the center of the coil 39, the conductor 54 being connected to one side of the electric current supply. A third switch 55 is interposed in a conductor 56 which is connected to the conductor 50 which is in turnconnected to the source of current supply so that when the switch 55 is closed and the switches 52 and 53 are open the heating coil 39 is connected directly to the source of current supply.

In Figure 8 there is disclosed the wiring diagram by means of which the sockets l1 may be connected through a cable 51 having an adaptor plug 58 secured thereto to a suitable testing device (not shown). The cable 57 includes the usual filament conductors 59 and G0, and such other conductors BI, 62, 63, and 64 as are necessary to connect the different sockets I! with complementary sockets or the like carried by the testing device.

The heat controlling member 42 may be enclosed in a casing 65 which is mounted on the top H, and the member 42 with the casing 65 are preferably mounted adjacent one corner of the top H, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the use and operation of this device, the desired tube is mounted in a selected socket l1, and where such tube is provided with a terminal 66, a conductorB'I may be connected thereto, the

conductor 61 being supp ted in dependent .relation by means of a tubular supporting member 68 of L-shaped construction which has one end thereof secured to the top H. with the tube T mounted in the selected socket II, the switch 52 maybe closed so as to provide the lowest tem perature for the heating member l8. The heating member I8 is then lowered so as to engage about the tube T, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 5. The correct height of the heating member l8 may be obtained by means of the removable pins 30 and 35. The plug 58 may then be connected to a suitable testing device (not shown) so that the quality of the difierent elements within the tube '1 may be determined during the baking process. The temperature of the heating member l8 may be controlled by means of closing the selected switch connected to the coil of the control member 42.

This baking processwill also have the effect of volatilizing any magnesium which is deposited on the inside of the tube on the silver or mercury coating of the tube, so that any excess gases caused by the treatment of the tube will be absorbed in the same manner as such gases were absorbed during the originaltreatment thereof.

The hereinbefore described method and means for rejuvenating radio tubes has been placed in actual practice, and tubes treated thereby have been found to operate in their original manner, and such rejuvenated tubes will operate satisfactorily for a considerable length of time.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications maybe made in the details of construction and design 'of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims:-

What is claimed is:

1. A tube rejuvenating means comprising a base, a tube socket carried by the base, a tube heating member, means for supporting said heating member above said tube socket and about a tube in said socket, means for connecting said heating member to a source of electric current supply, and means for controlling the heat generated by said member.

2. A tube rejuvenating means comprising a base, a tube socket carried by the base, a tube heating member, means for supporting said heating member above said tube socket and about a tube in said socket, means for connecting said heating member to a source of electric current supply, a resistance coil interposed in said connecting means, and means for mounting said coil on the base.

3. A tube rejuvenating means comprising a base, a plurality of tube sockets, a slide member carried by the base, said sockets being mounted on said slide member, a testing device, means for connecting said sockets to the testing device,

a tube heating member, means for supporting said heating member about a tube disposed in aselected socket, and means for controlling the heat generated by said heating member.

4. A tube rejuvenating means comprising a base, a socket on the base, a pair oi uprights disposed on the base, one on each side of said socket, a tube heating member, and means engaging the heating member and the uprights for supporting the heating member about a tube in said socket.

5. A tube rejuvenating means comprising a base, a socket on the base, a pair of uprights disposed on the base one on each side of said socket, a tube heating member, and means for releasably securing said tube heating member in dependent relation between said uprights.

6. A tube rejuvenating means comprising a base, a socket on the base, a pair or uprights disposed on the base one on each side of said socket, a tube heating member, an elongated supporting member for said heating member provided with a bowed intermediate portion, means for securing the heating member in said bowed portion, and means for securing said supporting member to said uprights.

WILLIAM BARTLETT. RALPH CARPENTER. 

